The present invention relates to a reel-driving device for videocassette recorder using video cassettes, and particularly to a reel-driving device having a simple construction providing basic functions thereof and enabling the manufacture thereof to be inexpensive.
Generally, a videocassette recorder (hereinafter, referred to as a VCR) includes two reels, that is, a supply reel and a take-up reel, in order to travel a tape in a normal or reverse direction. The VCR is properly operated in various operating modes, for example, a play-back mode(PB), a fast forwarding mode(FF), a reviewing mode(REW), a normal searching mode(CUE), a reverse searching mode(REV), a reverse play-back mode(R-PB), a slow play-back mode(SLOW), and a frame advancing mode(FRAME AVD).
In a 1/2 inch VHS-type VCR, for example, a take-up reel needs a torque of about 150 g. Cm in PB, SLOW, CUE, AND FRAME AVD modes as above-mentioned. In R-PB and REV modes, a supply reel needs a torque of about 200 g. Cm. In FF and REW modes, both supply reel and take-up reel require a torque of about 400 g. Cm.
Thus, the torque of each reel has to be varied depending upon the required operating mode. As in the case of VHS-type, such variation of torque is encountered in all VCR having a construction provided with a supply reel and a take-up reel, although the degree of variation thereof may be more or less different from that of VHS-type VCR.
Hereinbefore, there has been several methods for carrying out the above-mentioned function. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of conventional reel-driving devices, wherein a drive idler 1 can rotate according to PB or R-PB modes, as respectively indicated by the solid line and the atom line in FIG. 1. The drive force of the idler 1 can be transmitted to a supply reel 2 via an intermediate clutch 4 disposed between the idler 1 and the supply reel 2, or to a take-up reel 3 via an intermediate clutch 4 disposed between the idler 1 and the take-up reel 3. The clutches 4 and 5 are provided with springs exhibiting different spring forces, respectively. Thus, torques of the supply reel 2 and the take-up reel 3 are different from each other. In detail, the clutch 4 associated with the supply reel 2 uses a spring 6 exhibiting a spring force higher than that of a coil spring (not shown) used in the take-up reel 3, so that torques of the supply reel 2 and the take-up reel 3 can be differently provided. In REW mode, a larger torque is required. To this end, an input gear 4a and an output gear 4b engage with each other via a connecting gear 7 as shown in FIG. 2, so that a drive force transmitted from a drive motor via the idler 1 can be directly transmitted to the supply reel 2. In a FF mode, a connecting gear 8 associated with the intermediate clutch 5 has a function identical to that of the connecting gear 7, so that the drive force of the drive motor is directly transmitted to the take-up reel 3. In this case, connecting gears 7 and 8 operate at positions indicated by the atom line and the solid line in FIG. 1, by means of function plates, respectively, although the connection between each connecting gear and each function plate is not shown in FIG. 1.
Although the reel-driving device can properly function depending upon the variation of torque, there is a problem that the device has a complicated construction using two intermediate clutches and two connecting gears.
As another example of conventional reel-driving devices, there is a construction using one clutch mechanism. This consturction is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this case, a clutch 13 receives the power from a power source (not shown) by means of a belt 11 and a pulley 12. The clutch 13 engages with a idler 18 which is operatably connected to the clutch 13 by means of a connecting lever 15 to pivot about the axis 14 of said clutch so that a torque is selectively transmitted to a supply reel 16 or a take-up reel 17. In this case, the torque of the supply reel 16 is the same as that of the take-up reel 17. In FF or REW modes, both gears 13a and 13b of the clutch 13 are engaged with a connecting gear 19, in order to remove the clutch function and to provide a direct transmission of the torque, as in the case of FIG. 1.
Although having a simple construction, such reel-driving device does not include a means for adjusting the torques of reels to the desired values, for example, 200 g. Cm in the case of the supply reel 16 and 150 g. Cm in the case of the take-up reel 17, respectively. In this device, the torques of the reels 16 and 17 are set at about 170 to 180 g.Cm, as different from the desired values. As a result, the required functions of the reel driving device can not be satisfactorily obtained.
FIG. 5 shows a further example of conventional reel-driving device wherein a clutch means is removed and a motor 21 for reels directly drives a supply reel 23 and a take-up reel 24 via an idler 22. In this case, a rotational torque of the motor 21 is electrically controlled so that the generated torque corresponds to each operating mode. Although providing a simple construction and high reliance, this device has a disadvantage of increasing the cost of manufacture due to the use of an expensive high efficiency motor driving in a wide range of velocity and a servo circuit for adjusting a torque in each operating mode.
As still another conventional reel-driving device, there is an arrangement wherein a supply reel and a take-up reel are independently driven by respective motors. The operation of each motor is controlled by a micro computer in order to provide a desired torque, thereby enabling a precise control of the tape-tension. However, this device has not been commonly utilized except for particular purposes, due to the necessity of using two expensive motors and a complicated control circuit.